Paul Domowitch

STAFF WRITER

Paul Domowitch is a pro football writer for the Inquirer and Daily News, where he has worked since 1982. He has covered nearly 30 Super Bowls and has been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the last 15 years.

I’ll be posting my day-after breakdown of Sunday’s game in a little bit. But first, I thought this would be a good time for a little What Andy Said, What Andy Meant from his news conference earlier today. Enjoy:

How do you avoid having your tenuous job security become a distraction for your team?

What Andy said: "Listen, you control what you can control. And that’s getting better as a football team. That’s where my emphasis is. Become a better coach and make sure I put my guys in the right position to make plays."

What Andy meant: "I had hoped Jeffrey would address that by giving me a five-year contract extension, but he politely declined."

Poll

Should Andy Reid “cop out” and step down?

Yes.

No.

Are the problems with this team fixable?

What Andy said: "Yes, I believe it’s fixable. Like I said, we’ve got to eliminate the mistakes. It’s not (a lack of) effort or want-to. I don’t see that. I see guys pressing a little bit where they don’t need to press. Guys that have been very consistent players for us in the past are pressing just a bit. They want to do so well. They want to be that guy that makes that play."

What Andy meant: "We’re as fixable as the Petraeus marriage."

Do you regret your decision to leave LeSean McCoy in the game late in the fourth quarter?

What Andy said: "I don’t regret it. It happened. Do I wish he didn’t get hurt? Yeah, I do. I wish he wouldn’t have been hurt. But I don’t regret (leaving him in)."

What Andy meant: "I effed up."

How does McCoy’s concussion compare with Vick’s?

What Andy said: "It didn’t seem to be quite as bad just from where he was after the game."

What Andy meant: "LeSean at least remembered he played for the Eagles. After Michael’s concussion, he kept calling me Warden Smith."

On a third-and-five play in the second quarter, McCoy, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson all were out of the game. How is the offense in the best position to get a first down without those three guys in the game?

What Andy said: "Somewhere you rest your players. We have a couple of different personnel groups where we can do that. We weren’t successful on it. But we had kids out there we thought we had good matchups with and what we wanted to do with the play."

What Andy meant: "Marty had a brain cramp."

From the outside looking in, it looks like things are getting worse. How does it look from the inside?

What Andy said: "I can’t sit here and tell you things are great coming off a loss like that. Everybody is searching right now and looking for answers. That can be a healthy thing."

What Andy meant: "I’ve always been a glass-half-full guy. We gave up 38 points last week and only 31 this week. One small step for man. One giant step for Team Big Red."

Is your leadership still effective?

What Andy said: "I look at everything. So I’m not telling you I’m not looking at that. We’re not winning football games and I take that responsibility. Since I’m in that leadership spot, my leadership right now isn’t good enough."

What Andy meant: We had perfect attendance at our team meeting this morning. So they must still be listening to me. But I think I might start having Dom the security guy taste my food before I eat."

Is there any scenario where you would step down?

What Andy said: "I’m standing in front of the team and telling them these are the things we need to do. One of which is to continue to battle. (To quit) would be a copout. That’s not how I see things. That’s not the way I’m wired."

What Andy meant: "I’ve got 5 ½ million reasons to keep coaching this football team."

Has Lurie’s opinion of you changed?

What Andy said: "He’s a competitive guy. Nobody wants to win more than Jeffrey. I’ll tell you he’s disappointed. Rightly so. He feels the same way we do. That we’re letting people down in this city."

What Andy meant: "I don’t know if this means anything, but I passed him in the hall this morning and he gave me the finger."